Analisis Komposisi Bahan Lempung dan Tanah di Sekitar Kawasan Sungai Bujang, Sungai Baru, Sungai Merbok Kechil dan Kawasan Mukim Merbok dan Mukim Bujang, Kedah

Abstract

ABSTRAK: Sungai Bujang dan Sungai Baru dan kawasan sekitar Mukim Bujang dan Mukim Merbok menyimpan pelbagai khazanah silam terutamanya tapak purba berupa candi yang antara dibina dengan menggunakan batu bata. Untuk menentukan sama ada bata tersebut dihasilkan dengan menggunakan bahan mentah tempatan atau tidak, maka perbandingan komposisi bahan antara bata dengan tanah liat di sekitar tapak perlu dilakukan. Analisis komposisi bahan tanah liat melibatkan analisis komposisi kandungan mineral dan komposisi kandungan unsur utama dan unsur surih. Teknik yang digunakan ialah teknik X-ray Diffraction (XRD) dan X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahawa kandungan mineral utama yang terdapat di dalam tanah liat adalah seperti kuarza, kaolinite, illite, muscovite, microcline, orthoclase, montmorillonite, gibbsite dan albite. Berdasarkan kepada kandungan unsur utama dan unsur surih pula menunjukkan bahawa pada setiap kawasan yang dikaji, kandungan kimia lempung dan tanah mempunyai kandungannya yang tersendiri dan boleh dibezakan berdasarkan komposisinya.

Kata kunci: lempung, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, bata, Sungai Bujang, Sungai Baru, Merbok.

ABSTRACT: Bujang River, Baru River and the surrounding areas of Bujang and Merbok sub district contain some ancient heritage such as temples or candi and several ancient entreports which are rich in archaeological data. Several of these ancient temples or candi were made from clay bricks. To determine whether the bricks were made using local resources which are clay, a scientific analysis on the chemical composition of the clay therefore has to be conducted. Analysis on the clay samples of Bujang River, Baru River and clay taken from the surrounding areas of Mukim Bujang and Mukim Merbok was done by using techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) which can determine the mineral content, major and trace elements of the clay. Results show that the mineral content of clay from Bujang River, Baru River and the clay taken from the surrounding areas of Mukim Bujang and Mukim Merbok consists of minerals such as quartz, kaolinite, illite, muscovite, microcline, orthoclase, montmorillonite, gibbsite and albite. Scatter plot analysis of major and trace elements shows that in certain areas, the clay samples have their own compositional characteristics.

Key words: clay, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, bricks, Sungai Bujang, Sungai Baru, Merbok